UC DAVIS SUPERFUND RESEARCH PROGRAM Superfund sites are diverse, and many include unknown chemicals, chemicals of unknown toxicity and/or toxic degradation products. Currently, methods to detect, prioritize, and remediate these chemicals are incomplete or nonexistent. The UC Davis Superfund Research Center (UCD-SRC) will conduct research to: (i) improve understanding of the mechanisms by which hazardous chemicals produce adverse health effects, (ii) develop, validate and integrate novel methods to evaluate chemical exposures, levels of contamination, and health risks, and (iii) develop innovative remediation strategies to reduce hazardous substance exposure and toxicity. To achieve these goals the SRC consists of 5 integrated projects, 2 research support cores, a training core, a community engagement core, a research translation core and an administrative core. The UCD-SRC will use integrated chromatographic, biosensor and cell based technologies to detect and identify contaminants and develop innovative approaches for bioremediation. Rapid immunochemical and cell based analysis will supplement classical technologies for the evaluation of sites, as well as determining human susceptibility, exposure and effect. Fundamental mechanisms of toxic action of selected chemicals will be explored to predict risk and develop new biomarkers. This mechanistic knowledge will be extended in vivo with an emphasis on mechanism of toxicity. We are expanding the use of transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and integrated bioinformatics technologies to discover new mechanisms of action of hazardous materials and biomarkers for their action and to connect hazardous substance exposures to organism level effects. The biomarkers developed in this project will serve as biological dosimeters in exposure studies. All aspects of the program will be connected to our Community Engagement Core, and subject to community approval will be demonstrated on Yurok Tribal Lands. Technologies developed by the SRC will be tested at field sites and transferred to end users through a research translation core. Program Relevance We will develop sensitive systems for evaluating and mitigating the risk of hazardous chemicals on human populations and the environment using biomarkers of both exposure and effect.
UC DAVIS SUPERFUND RESEARCH PROGRAM The UC Davis Superfund Research Center conducts research to: (i) improve understanding of the mechanisms by which hazardous chemicals produce adverse health effects, (b) develop, validate and integrate novel methods to evaluate chemical exposures, levels of contamination, and health risks, and (c) develops innovative remediation strategies to reduce hazardous substance exposure and toxicity. These activities will improve the ability of the National Superfund Program to address legacy and emerging contaminants and associated transformation products to more comprehensively protect the U.S. population from health risks posed by hazardous substances.
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